It’s that time again. Food time!!!
This week on the menu, I’m serving up polenta … fried polenta. Yep. Delicious, golden brown, yummy morsels of goodness that even your kids will eat and enjoy!
Before I begin, I’m going to share the basic polenta recipe I used first. You can buy polenta from the grocery, but it’s so easy to make, why not make everything from scratch! It’s much healthier this way! And much more gratifying! But make sure to give yourself time to make both recipes! I ended up making the basic polenta recipe one night and fried everything the following night.
Basic Polenta
6 cups water
2 tsp salt
1 3/4 cups yellow cornmeal
3 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1. In a large, heavy saucepan, bring the water to a boil. Add the salt, then gradually whisk in the cornmeal. Reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring often, until the mixture thickens and the cornmeal is tender (about 15 minutes).
2. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter.Â
And now … moving on to the centre of attraction!!!
Fried Polenta
1 tsp plus 1/2 cup olive oil
3 cups of home-made polentaÂ
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 tsp salt
1 cup marinara sauce
1. Coat an 11×17 inch baking dish with 1 tsp of oil. Transfer the hot polenta to the prepared baking dish, spreading evenly to 3/4 inch thick. Cover and refrigerate until cold and firm, about 2 hours. *This is an important step. It won’t fry properly unless the polenta is cold and set.
2. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F. Cut the polenta into 2 x 1 inch pieces (I cut them so they were long and bite sized, like fries, for the kids). In a large, heavy skillet, heat the remaining 1/2 cup of oil over a medium high flame.Â
3. Working in batches, fry the polenta pieces until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side (I found it took longer than 3 minutes per side, so just watch your pan).Â
4. Using tongs, transfer the polenta to paper towels and drain. Place everything on a baking sheet to keep warm while cooking the remaining batches.Â
5. Transfer the polenta pieces to a serving platter. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and salt, and serve with marinara sauce.
Trust me, make these for your family or for guests and they won’t last long. My hubby absolutely despises polenta but loved this. It’s a nice twist on a traditional Italian recipe and super fun to eat. Enjoy them as a side dish or an appetizer. Either way, plan to enjoy them … a lot! ;)Â
As always, my doors are always open; you’re welcome to pop in for a meal on me! Until next time, Robyn xo